For the first time in four grands prix, Sebastian Vettel moved ahead of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in the drivers' standings with sixth place in Belgium.

That Raikkonen had that spell in front was perhaps unexpected by those who were disappointed when it was announced during the British Grand Prix weekend - in which Raikkonen moved ahead - that he was staying put for 2017.

Many felt Ferrari had made the wrong call by keeping a 36-year-old driver who had supposedly lost his speed and was believed to no longer be good enough.

But there should have been no surprise with the decision. Ferrari's policy is clear.

It wants a lead driver that it will back in a title push and a number two that is capable of scoring consistently for the sake of the constructors' championship.

The second driver should push the lead one but not get too close and create the sort of rivalry that Mercedes has and that is brewing at Red Bull.

On the evidence of Raikkonen's recent form he is ticking both boxes.

The Finn admitted at the start of the season that he was happier with the handling of Ferrari's 2016 car, particularly with regards to the front end, compared to last year's machine.

The day before his new deal was announced, Raikkonen said he felt like he's driving as well as ever, and Ferrari is content that he has responded to its demand to step it up this year.

He started 2016 with three podiums in five races and is now on a run of seven points finishes on the bounce that has yielded a tally of 63, only five fewer than Vettel in the same period.

That is his best sequence of results since he scored in 27 consecutive races between the 2012 Bahrain GP and the 2013 Hungarian GP for Lotus.

It is his qualifying form - arguably his weakest point last year - that has been impressive of late.

He may have been outqualifed by Vettel overall 8-5 but he has been ahead in each of the last three 'normal' races - the wet Hungarian GP session excluded.

Overlooking the Hungarian weekend completely, he has scored the same number of points as Vettel and would likely have been ahead had he not dropped from third to last and a lap down after being squeezed between Vettel and Max Verstappen at the first corner in Belgium.

That run coincides with the signing of his new deal, which his boss Maurizio Arrivabene said was in part to take the pressure off and end the persistent questioning over his future.

You could argue that Hockenheim, Silverstone and particularly Spa are circuits that Raikkonen always does well at, and that Vettel will start to pull away later in the season when the calendar moves to tracks the Finn likes less.

It's true that a quarter of his wins and one eighth of Raikkonen's pole positions have been achieved at those three circuits.

But if you look at his top five qualifying performances in each of 2014 and '15, those circuits do not feature in that list.

The same can be said of his top five race performances in 2015 while in '14, only Spa featured.

The stats suggest that since rejoining Ferrari, his performance in qualifying has gradually improved, albeit from a low starting point.

In 2014, his average grid position after 13 races was just 10.2. That improved to 6.8 over the same period last year and is now 5.4.

He has also edged closer to his team-mate in those seasons. In 2014, he was an average of 3.4 places behind Fernando Alonso. That reduced to 2.3 last year against Vettel and is currently 1.2.

His ultimate one-lap pace has improved since he returned to Maranello. In 2014, he was 2.677 seconds adrift on average, dropping to 1.346s last year and rising slightly this campaign to 1.404s.

Kimi is finding his mojo this year and if it wasnt for this crazy kid Crashstappen, Raikkonen would be 3rd in the WDC. But would it be something to celebrate, 3rd in the WDC? I think not.

nope, nothing to celebrate when you're 3rd....being FIRST is what winning is to me....anything after that is the place for losers

so this year we have nothing to celebrate really...it would be nice if at least we WIN one race cause going through a whole season winless, it's really the pits...lol

and hopefully we come back next year taht much stronger and get both the WDC and WCC...i mean we have pretty good drivers, both capable to fight for WINS, we just need Ferrari to give them a competitive car right from the get go...

Kimi would agree. One of my favorite Kimi quotes is "It doesn't matter if I am second or 10th, it makes no difference, I'd rather be probably out of second and third place so I don't have to go to the prize-giving. It makes no difference to be second or fifth if you don't win."

Please, everyone, you all grown ups on here, you all know the forum rules. So please, im asking again nicely. No swearing. If you really really for what ever reason must swear please star out/filter out the whole word. please.

To many been sliping recently, and we have few repeat offenders who, for what ever reason isnt getting it. Be warnings, infractions and suspensions handed out, but keep doing, keep pushing us, we will ban you permanently ban you.

Please, everyone, you all grown ups on here, you all know the forum rules. So please, im asking again nicely. No swearing. If you really really for what ever reason must swear please star out/filter out the whole word. please.

To many been sliping recently, and we have few repeat offenders who, for what ever reason isnt getting it. Be warnings, infractions and suspensions handed out, but keep doing, keep pushing us, we will ban you permanently ban you.

Thankyou, please respect the forum rules and other members.

I think a permanent ban is a little too much. I am sure nobody wants Ferrari to fail and I havent seen people swearing like crazy and in a manner that offends fellow members or the team. Of course there should be no swearing, but lets not be overprotective, it has been a tough season for the team, people are dissapointed and have passion.

I think a permanent ban is a little too much. I am sure nobody wants Ferrari to fail and I havent seen people swearing like crazy and in a manner that offends fellow members or the team. Of course there should be no swearing, but lets not be overprotective, it has been a tough season for the team, people are dissapointed and have passion.

repeat offenders will be. People who keep doing it, and doing and got infractions and warnings going back to couple years will be. There is so many chances can give. If cannt learn lesson that way, by being nice, all out ban will be given.

repeat offenders will be. People who keep doing it, and doing and got infractions and warnings going back to couple years will be. There is so many chances can give. If cannt learn lesson that way, by being nice, all out ban will be given.

Overprotective? its the forum rules no swearing. Its simple.

I understand what you are saying and I agree there should be no swearing. But like you said, there are people that have been here for years, loyal forum members, from time to time their heads pop, 2-3-4 times in a time span of years is normal. They are not robots and some are very passionate like I said. I am just worried about losing good fans because of this, but I trust your judgement (Greig not included )

To stay on the subject, I think Kimi is driving decent for his level. I dont think he is overperforming, this kind of performances where to be expected from him. Lets not forget he was brought on to fight with Fernando and not be anymore 1st and 2nd driver at Ferrari, after his great Lotus spell. If anything he has underperformed until now and this year he is where he should have been

To stay on the subject, I think Kimi is driving decent for his level. I dont think he is overperforming, this kind of performances where to be expected from him. Lets not forget he was brought on to fight with Fernando and not be anymore 1st and 2nd driver at Ferrari, after his great Lotus spell. If anything he has underperformed until now and this year he is where he should have been

It's not about his level. It is and has been about the car and how the car suits his sensitive, but fast style to carry the speed trough the corners.

Kimi him self said that there is not a single reason for his good performances, but now he is overall happy with the handling. Especially front end.

Pull-rod/push-rod, no difference at all, as many has been saying around here

This performance confirms the fact that Kimi needs/likes a car which oversteers while Alonso looks to wriggle an understeering car. If we go through the onboards of the Alonso era cars, understeer was a key attribute/anomaly.The cars used to handle like trucks atleast visually.Now things are gradually improving. Structural changes are underway and not mere cyclical changes.Structural changes require sometime to manifest. At this time of rebuilding and refocusing we must support the team wholeheartedly. Forza Ferrari

If you do follow the sport, team orders is part of it.
At one point, you should get over the fact that the drivers you like followed them and got handsomely paid to do so.

I thought they were now banned? Drivers getting paid handsomely not to go all out and try to beat their teamate and all the other drivers is what makes F1 great! Forget all the tech, and areo etc. that goes into a F1 car, just keep tuned to your radio! I'm curious to see just when Merc is going to use that great part of the F1 sport and tell either Lewis or Nico to move over. It's almost WDC time! They both get paid handsomely so there should be no problem which driver will move over when told. I'ts part of the sport ! Stay tuned!

I thought they were now banned? Drivers getting paid handsomely not to go all out and try to beat their teamate and all the other drivers is what makes F1 great! Forget all the tech, and areo etc. that goes into a F1 car, just keep tuned to your radio! I'm curious to see just when Merc is going to use that great part of the F1 sport and tell either Lewis or Nico to move over. It's almost WDC time! They both get paid handsomely so there should be no problem which driver will move over when told. I'ts part of the sport ! Stay tuned!

Team orders were banned but not any more.
Only thing that is now banned are the radio orders and these to a point.
However, team orders that have to do with who driver is #1 and who is #2 are there and never are going to go away, to your dismay, perhaps but that is the natural order of things in Formula one.

Rubens knew that, Massa knew that, Irvine knew that.

As for Mercedes, I honestly don't give a damn, they 're probably going to relive (at one point or the other) a McLaren Senna vs Prost moment of history, which, goes to show btw that team orders is the way to go ;)

"If someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to drive for Ferrari" - Gilles Villeneuve

Your probably right, team orders is the way to go, I'd hate to think where Schumy would have been without them! Schumy and Kimi would have been a great pair @ Ferrari. Kimi for sure would have messed up Schumy's natural orders of things. He would have had to beat him for real!

We will see Kimi in the Ferrari seat for 2018 as well, there is no good enough available for then, Ricciardo will stay at RB, Hamilton will stay at Mercedes, I don't rate Perez or Hulk enough for the seat.

We will see Kimi in the Ferrari seat for 2018 as well, there is no good enough available for then, Ricciardo will stay at RB, Hamilton will stay at Mercedes, I don't rate Perez or Hulk enough for the seat.

Agreed, even today it was proven that Kimi is an excellent driver and proved people that wanted Ferrari to sack him as ignorant fools.

"If someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to drive for Ferrari" - Gilles Villeneuve

There, fixed it for you, glad you 've finally came to realize the natural order of things.

Thank you! You are right again. Where would Ferrari have been without a willing wing man like Rubens to keep Shumy happy. Where would Shumy have been without the midjet on the radio and Rubens moving over for the $$ ? If today was the old "Ferrari " days Nico would have had to block Ricciardi and move over for Lewis. The F1 sport is just not the same without Rubenization !

Ahhhhh, the never ending debate over team orders, gotta love it! Brembo, my good friend, nothing better to hold closely than a good grudge. My father always told me "don't get mad, get even". I guess that's impossible as a fan, but we can take solace in the fact that team orders these days are usually much more subtle, drivers' feelings are taken into account to a degree & reluctance to following them is slightly more tolerated by teams. Times HAVE changed a little.

As for Kimi, I'm glad he's showing many he's "still got it"!

PS Cannot believe how long it took me to figure out what "midjet" meant. For sure I am getting old & less sharp !

Forza Ferrari !"You need great passion, because everything you do with great pleasure, you do well." - Juan Manuel Fangio

Thank you! You are right again. Where would Ferrari have been without a willing wing man like Rubens to keep Shumy happy. Where would Shumy have been without the midjet on the radio and Rubens moving over for the $$ ? If today was the old "Ferrari " days Nico would have had to block Ricciardi and move over for Lewis. The F1 sport is just not the same without Rubenization !

in all the times Schumi and Rubens raced together. How many times did rubens "pull over"? what.. twice??
not as many as your biased post seems to hint at.